GET THE APP
Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Category: Politics
October 7, 2025
Politics

Police Union Calls on Jay Jones to Exit AG Race for Backing Cop Deaths.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Virginia Fraternal Order of Police (VFOP) has condemned Democrat Attorney General candidate Jay Jones for violent text messages—including fantasies about killing children and police—and called for his withdrawal from the race.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jay Jones, Virginia Fraternal Order of Police, former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, and Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Text messages sent in 2022; with the messages resurfacing last week.

💬KEY QUOTE: “It is time you hold yourself accountable for these actions and withdraw from the Attorney General race immediately.” – Virginia Fraternal Order of Police

🎯IMPACT: Despite the condemnation, major Democrats have not withdrawn their endorsements of Jones.

IN FULL

The Virginia Fraternal Order of Police (VFOP) has publicly condemned Democrat Attorney General candidate Jay Jones after violent text messages sent by him in 2022 came to light. In the texts, Jones called for the death of former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, fantasized about killing Gilbert’s children, and wished death on law enforcement. The VFOP has called for Jones to withdraw from the race.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the VFOP wrote, “The Virginia Fraternal Order of Police is aware of the recent text message scandal involving you, the Democrat candidate for Attorney General. While this incident may have occurred in 2022, this conduct has no place in our society or democracy, especially from an elected official who is running to be the top prosecutor in Virginia. The men and women of the Virginia Fraternal Order unequivocally condemn these violent text messages sent by you about a political opponent and his family.”

The controversy stems from texts sent by Jones to Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner in 2022, where he remarked, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, hitler and pol pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” Coyner reportedly responded, “Jay Please stop.” Jones later called Coyner and allegedly expressed a desire for Gilbert’s children to die to influence policy decisions.

In recounting the incident, Coyner detailed a heated discussion with Jones about qualified immunity for police officers: “I said, ‘I believe that people will get killed. Police officers will get killed.’ And he said, ‘Well, maybe if a few of them died, that they would move on, not shooting people, not killing people.’ And I said, ‘that’s insane.’ But he firmly believed that if you removed qualified immunity, that police officers would act differently, and I firmly believe that it would not result in good public policy, and it would put police officers and the public’s lives at risk if they have to second-guess themselves on a decision they’re making in a moment where someone is doing something violent.”

Despite the VFOP’s condemnation, other major Democratic candidates in the state, including gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger, have continued to support Jones, with no significant withdrawals of endorsements.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
October 7, 2025
Politics
UK

Twenty Conservative Politicians Defect to Farage’s Reform Party Amid Conservative Conference.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Twenty Conservative (Tory) Party councillors have defected to join Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, coinciding with the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester, England.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Defectors from various municipal governments, Nigel Farage, the Reform Party, and Conservative leader Olukemi “Kemi” Badenoch.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The defections were announced on Tuesday, ahead of the Conservative conference finale in Manchester.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The Conservative Party is dead and can no longer serve as an effective Opposition.” – Nigel Farage

🎯IMPACT: The defections bolster Reform’s presence in local councils, while raising questions about the Conservative Party’s unity and viability ahead of the next general election, which must be held by 2029.

IN FULL

Twenty municipal government councillors have defected from the Conservative (Tory) Party to join Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, as the Conservatives are holding their annual conference in Manchester, England. The defections seriously undermine the Conservatives’ new leader, Nigeria-raised Olukemi “Kemi” Badenoch, ahead of the Conservative Party conference’s final day, where she is scheduled to give the closing speech.

Farage celebrated the move, declaring, “The Conservative Party is dead and can no longer serve as an effective Opposition.” The councillors who switched represent a broad spread of municipal governments, including South Kesteven, Hertsmere, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, the East Riding of Yorkshire, and others.

In a Radio interview, Badenoch stated that the Conservatives’ success would be judged at the next general election. She said, “This conference is where we are showing the direction of travel: a stronger economy, stronger borders and that we’re the only party tough enough and competent enough to deliver both,” and characterized the defections as merely shedding “baggage.”

Brett Rosehill, one of the defectors, challenged Badenoch’s view, stating, “I don’t think it’s ‘shedding baggage.’ I think there’s a strong, growing movement of people who care about British values and safety.”

Notably, while the Conservatives have long positioned themselves as a party of “strong borders,” legalized mass migration remained near record levels throughout much of their time in office from 2010 to mid-2024, and exploded in their last several years in office during the so-called “Boriswave.” An illegal boat migrant crisis in the English Channel also took hold during their tenure.

Reform has been steadily gaining momentum since the 2024 general election, winning 677 municipal government seats in May’s local elections and taking control of several councils previously held by the Conservatives, as well as seizing Doncaster from the governing Labour Party. The Conservatives have collapsed to just 16 percent in the polls, with conference attendees noting the venue is largely empty.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
October 6, 2025
Politics

Social Security Chief Frank Bisignano Takes Dual Role as IRS CEO.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appointed Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano as CEO of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a newly created position.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Scott Bessent, Frank Bisignano, and the Treasury Department.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Announcement made Monday; roles involve the IRS and Social Security Administration.

💬KEY QUOTE: Sec. Bessent said that Bisignano “[H]as already made important and substantial progress [at the SSA], and we are pleased that he will bring this expertise to the IRS as we sharpen our focus on collections, privacy, and customer service in order to deliver better outcomes for hardworking Americans.”

🎯IMPACT: Bisignano will oversee daily IRS operations while continuing as SSA Commissioner.

IN FULL

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday announced the appointment of Frank Bisignano, the current Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner, to a newly created role as CEO of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The position is designed to manage the daily operations of the tax agency.

The Treasury Department explained that Bisignano will continue his responsibilities at the SSA while taking on the additional leadership role at the IRS. Bessent remarked, “The IRS and SSA share many of the same technological and customer service goals. This makes Mr. Bisignano a natural choice for this role.”

Sec. Bessent continued, stating that Bisignano “has already made important and substantial progress [at the SSA], and we are pleased that he will bring this expertise to the IRS as we sharpen our focus on collections, privacy, and customer service in order to deliver better outcomes for hardworking Americans.”

This appointment follows a series of leadership changes at the IRS. The agency’s most recent commissioner, Billy Long, a former auctioneer and congressman, resigned in August after just two months in the position.

Bisignano, prior to his government service, held roles as a Wall Street executive and served as CEO of Fiserv, a financial services and payments company. In his new role as IRS CEO, he will report directly to Bessent, who remains the acting IRS commissioner.

Image by Alpha Photo.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
October 6, 2025
Politics

Desperate Dem Jeffries Demands Speaker Johnson Debate Him on House Floor.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) dismissed an outlandish demand by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for a primetime debate on the House floor over the Senate Democrats’ government shutdown.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Speaker Mike Johnson, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The debate request was made on Monday morning amidst the ongoing government shutdown, caused by the Democrat minority in the Senate blocking spending legislation.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The House has done its job. I’m not going to let Hakeem try to pretend for theatrics.” – Mike Johnson

🎯IMPACT: The government shutdown continues as negotiations stall, with Democrats pushing for significant changes to President Donald J. Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” including money for illegal immigrant healthcare and an early extension of Obamacare subsidies.

IN FULL

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) declined a challenge to a prime-time House floor debate against Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) over the Senate Democrats’ ongoing government shutdown. Jeffries wrote to Johnson on Monday morning, challenging him to a debate on the House floor “any day this week,” to be broadcast live “to the American people.”

Johnson called the demand a “publicity stunt,” stating, “When the poll says that about 13 percent of the people approve of your messaging, then you make desperate pleas for attention, and that’s what Hakeem Jeffries has done.” He added that the House had already debated and passed its bill in a bipartisan manner before sending it to the Senate.

The short-term federal funding bill, aimed at keeping the government running through November 21, passed the House largely along party lines—with some Democrats joining the Republican majority—but has since stalled in the Senate. Johnson noted, “The ball is in the Senate’s court now,” and criticized Jeffries’ call for a debate as theatrical.

“The House has done its job. I’m not going to let Hakeem try to pretend for theatrics,” Speaker Johnson said. Notably, polling consistently shows voters oppose the Democratic Party’s shutdown of the federal government.

Jeffries, in his letter to Johnson, accused Republicans of shutting down the government over healthcare issues and failing to engage in bipartisan negotiations. Senate Democrats have rejected the GOP-led funding plan four times, with Democrats pushing for an extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire by the end of 2025. In addition, Senate Democrats are demanding the repeal of a number of provisions enacted under President Donald J. Trump‘s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” including the barring of money to fund illegal immigrant healthcare.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
October 6, 2025
William Upton
Politics

Foreign Agent Filing Reveals Israel-Backed Plan to Geofence Churches, Track and Target Phones of Christians.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Federal government Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings reveal a group called Show Faith by Works, LLC, with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs serving as the principal, is planning to launch an influence campaign targeting Christian churches and organizations in the Western United States with digital ads and a “mobile museum.”

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Show Faith by Works, LLC, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Christian churches and universities in the United States.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Filing was made on September 27, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We will target and distribute pro-Israel information online and through targeted geofencing and digital online tools,” the FARA filing reads, continuing: “We will have teams of people reaching out to churches and Pastors and possibly even Christian social media influencers. Some of this is still undecided and fluid, but these are the outlets we have planned and proposed.”

🎯IMPACT: While Show Faith by Works, LLC’s filing suggests its primary goal is tourism promotion, it is telling that some or all of the budget comes from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and not the Ministry of Tourism—indicating the ad campaign serves to influence politics more than anything else.

IN FULL

Federal government Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings reveal a group called Show Faith by Works, LLC, with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs serving as the principal, is planning to launch an influence campaign targeting Christian churches and organizations in the Western United States with digital ads and a “mobile museum.”

“We will target and distribute pro-Israel information online and through targeted geofencing and digital online tools,” the FARA filing reads, continuing: “We will have teams of people reaching out to churches and Pastors and possibly even Christian social media influencers. Some of this is still undecided and fluid, but these are the outlets we have planned and proposed.”

In addition, Show Faith by Works, LLC states its influence campaign’s goal is to “[encourage] Christians to have a more favorable view of the Nation of Israel, and to encourage Christians to visit Israel for tourism purposes.”

One of the primary methods the group says it will employ in its campaign is geofenced digital ads, meaning the online advertisements will be limited to specific geographic locations, even individual buildings. Geofencing is a common practice in the digital advertising space to ensure a specific audience or consumer base is reached.

In the case of Show Faith by Works, LLC, it appears they intend to geofence their ad campaign to specific, predetermined churches and Christian universities. It is unclear if ad recipients will continue to receive the digital messages outside of the geofenced area, though that is often an option employed by advertisers to keep their ads in front of their desired audience.

Specifically, the filing states they will “Geofence the actual boundaries of every Major church in California, Arizona, Nevada and Coloardo and all Christian Colleges during worship times,” and “Track attendees and continue to target with ads.”

Show Faith by Works, LLC FARA filing.

While not entirely foolproof, the identity of an ad’s recipient is anonymized, meaning neither Show Faith by Works, LLC nor the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs should know the real identities of those viewing their ads.

The FARA filings reveal an expansive campaign, with a total budget of nearly $1 million, with just under $700,000 earmarked for the ads themselves. While much of the campaign appears focused on tourism promotion to Christian pastors, the filing’s links to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rather than the Ministry of Tourism, do indicate that political influence on behalf of the Israeli government is at least a secondary goal.

Notably, Show Faith by Works, LLC’s filing reveals that at least some portion of the campaign budget is directly financed by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Any organization seeking to influence U.S. politics using funding from a foreign government must legally register under FARA.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
October 3, 2025
William Upton
News
Politics

Dem Attorney General Candidate Fantasizes About Political Murder.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Disturbing text messages sent by the Democratic Party’s nominee for Virginia Attorney General, Jay Jones, have surfaced, raising grave questions about his temperament and judgment.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jay Jones, Virginia Delegate Carrie Coyne, Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The politically violent messages were sent on August 8, 2022, and resurfaced on Friday, October 3, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.” — Jay Jones

🎯IMPACT: The messages reveal a brutal and violent side to Jones, likely turning off voters in a close race for Attorney General.

IN FULL

Disturbing text messages sent by the Democratic Party’s nominee for Virginia Attorney General, Jay Jones, have surfaced, raising grave questions about his temperament and judgment. The messages, sent on August 8, 2022, by Jones to Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyne, reveal a more violent and cruelly flipant side to Jones, who is challenging incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares (R).

Jones offers an unsolicited rant in the messages, trashing the centrist political legacy of long-time state lawmaker Joe Johnson Jr., who had recently passed away. Additionally, he rages about the “glowing” praise heaped on Johnson by Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, openly wondering what “that POS would say about me if I died.”

As the text messages continued, Jones’s language became more violent. In one, he wrote, “If those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves” to “send them out awash in something.” In other messages, Jones challenges Coyne to a game of hypothetical murder, asking which two of three people she would opt to kill, and offering his own choice without solicitation.

“Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.  Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time,” he wrote, prompting Coyne to reply: “Jay. Please stop.”

“It really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them. It isn’t ok. No matter who they are,” Coyne added, seemingly suggesting this wasn’t the first time Jones violently fantasized about physically harming others. However, Jones defended his violent thoughts, writing to Coyne: “I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”

Speaking with the media this week, Coyne said she sent the violent texts to Speaker Gilert at the time. “On August 8, 2022, I had a text conversation with Jay Jones, what he said was not just disturbing but disqualifying for anyone who wants to seek public office,” Coyne said in a statement, adding: “Jay Jones wished violence on the children of a colleague and joked about shooting Todd Gilbert. It’s disgusting and unbecoming of any public official.”

Responding to the revelations, which could damage his thus far competitive bid for Virginia Attorney General, Jones said in a statement, “Like all people, I’ve sent text messages that I regret and I believe that violent rhetoric has no place in our politics.”

He then tried to blame the leaked messages on his opponent and President Donald J. Trump.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
October 3, 2025
News
Politics

Far-Left SPLC Trained Biden DOJ, Got Access to Federal ‘Hate’ Data.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) was involved in training Joe Biden-era Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors and had exclusive access to federal hate crime data, according to documents obtained by America First Legal (AFL).

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The SPLC, DOJ prosecutors, former President Joe Biden, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, and America First Legal (AFL).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The collaboration occurred during former President Biden’s term, with specific interactions noted from 2022 to 2023.

💬KEY QUOTE:  “The SPLC long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine.” — Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel

🎯IMPACT: FBI Director Kash Patel announced on October 3, 2025, that the FBI had cut all ties with the organization.

IN FULL

The Department of Justice (DOJ) under former President Joe Biden partnered extensively with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), granting the leftist group access to sensitive federal hate crime data and including it in training sessions for prosecutors, according to documents obtained by America First Legal (AFL). The collaboration was part of a broader strategy by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division to coordinate with progressive organizations on issues like election security, racial profiling, and anti-LBGT violence.

Records, including internal emails, meeting schedules, and memos, reveal that by 2022, DOJ officials were actively soliciting the SPLC for input on civil rights priorities. In an email dated October 28, 2022, former Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke wrote to SPLC President Margaret Huang, “I wanted to flag some of our work on prison conditions and other work in the Deep South for your awareness, and see if there are federal civil rights matters of concern that we should be tracking.”

A few weeks later, SPLC representatives attended a November 14, 2022, meeting with Clarke, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, alongside other groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Brennan Center for Justice.

In December 2022, the SPLC was given early, embargoed access to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) hate crime data. “I appreciated getting an embargoed copy,” wrote SPLC senior policy counsel Michael Lieberman in a December 6 email to DOJ official Robert Moossy Jr. “I just finished my draft backgrounder and talking points and would love to talk to you about the report.”

The DOJ continued to include SPLC in civil rights cases and events into at least 2023. In November of that year, SPLC research analyst R.G. Cravens addressed a DOJ hate crimes symposium attended by more than 100 prosecutors. Cravens discussed anti-LGBT movements and, according to AFL, falsely linked a lawsuit against Target to bomb threats, which the cited article itself confirmed originated from left-wing activists.

“It was a total moral failing for the Biden Department of Justice to partner with a known partisan smear factory on something as important as hate-crime enforcement,” AFL president Gene Hamilton said in a statement.

Criticism of the SPLC’s involvement in DOJ work intensified after FBI Director Kash Patel announced on October 3, 2025, that the FBI had cut all ties with the organization. “The SPLC long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine,” Patel said.

He added that the SPLC’s “hate map” had been used to defame “mainstream Americans” and had inspired violence, potentially including the assassination of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
October 2, 2025
News
Politics

TPUSA High School Clubs More Than Double, Hit 2,700 Nationwide.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Turning Point USA (TPUSA) high school club chapters, known as Club America, have surged by over 100 percent since the assassination of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: TPUSA’s Enterprise Director Nick Cocca, spokesman Andrew Kolvet, and the late Charlie Kirk.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The surge occurred after Kirk’s passing, with the announcement made on Kirk’s show, hosted by Andrew Kolvet.

💬KEY QUOTE: “There are two types of high schools in this country: high schools that have Club America chapters and high schools that will soon have Club America chapters.” – Nick Cocca

🎯IMPACT: Over 1,500 new chapters have been added, with 120,000 total inquiries to start chapters nationwide.

IN FULL

The Turning Point USA (TPUSA) high school program, known as Club America, has more than doubled in size following the assassination of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk. The number of chapters grew from about 1,200 to over 2,700 in just a few weeks, a surge TPUSA attributes to renewed enthusiasm for Kirk’s vision of student-led conservative activism in schools.

The announcement came during an episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, now hosted by TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet. Joining him was Nick Cocca, Enterprise Director for Club America, who said, “There are two types of high schools in this country: high schools that have Club America chapters and high schools that will soon have Club America chapters.”

Cocca confirmed that more than 1,500 new chapters have launched since Kirk’s murder. The group also reported receiving 120,000 total requests to start chapters across both high schools and college campuses as of late September.

Kolvet reiterated Kirk’s long-standing goal of placing a Club America chapter in every U.S. high school. “The high school team has just informed me that we’ve already STARTED over 1,500 new Club America chapters across the country,” he said. “For context, we had around 1,200 before this, more than doubling our chapter total. We won’t stop until every HS has a Club America chapter.”

In the weeks since the assassination, some Christian leaders have also reported a noticeable rise in youth church attendance, calling it the “Charlie Kirk effect.” One Catholic campus ministry leader noted, “I have not talked to anyone who has not seen an increase in Mass attendance,” with some reporting as much as a 15 percent increase.

Despite the outpouring of support for TPUSA, the leftist Anti-Defamation League (ADL) continued to list TPUSA in its “Glossary of Extremism” even after Kirk’s murder. The ADL’s position drew sharp criticism, particularly as it also defended Antifa as largely non-violent.

In response to the scandal, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel announced the bureau would sever ties with the ADL, citing concerns over political bias.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
October 2, 2025
Immigration
Politics

Maxine Waters Confirms Democrats Shut Down Government Over Funding for Illegals.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) appeared to admit that her party was shutting down the government to prioritize healthcare for illegal immigrants.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Maxine Waters, President Donald J. Trump, and Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The government shutdown began at 12:01 AM on Wednesday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Democrats are demanding healthcare for everybody. We want to save lives.” – Maxine Waters

🎯IMPACT: The shutdown has furloughed 750,000 federal employees, with Republicans signaling potentially permanent layoffs and Democrats holding firm on healthcare demands.

IN FULL

Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) appeared to admit in an interview earlier this week that her Democrat colleagues in the U.S. Senate forced a government shutdown over the lack of healthcare funding for illegal immigrants in the Republican stopgap funding bill. In an interview with Alison Steinberg of Lindell TV, Waters stated, “Democrats are demanding healthcare for everybody. We want to save lives. We want to make sure that healthcare is available to those who would die, but having the help of their government.”

The admission by the senior House Democrat lawmaker bolsters Republican claims that congressional Democrats are prioritizing illegal immigrants over American citizens and federal government workers. In a post on Truth Social, President Donald J. Trump slammed Democrat leaders on Capitol Hill, noting Waters’s comments, “Maxine Waters admitted that she is demanding Healthcare for Illegal Aliens, and it’s going to be Top of the Line, taking American Taxpayers’ Healthcare away from them!”

Late Tuesday, Senate Democrats moved to block a Republican-backed short-term funding measure that would have averted the budget lapse, setting off the government shutdown at 12:01 AM on Wednesday. The Republican stopgap bill sought to maintain current funding levels through November 21, but Democrats demanded provisions addressing the extension of Obamacare subsidies.

Republican lawmakers contend the Democrat proposal to extend the subsidies contains language that would remove safeguards preventing illegal immigrants from receiving them. Waters dismissed accusations of prioritizing non-citizens over Americans as “divisive.”

Image by Gage Skidmore.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
October 2, 2025
William Upton
Politics

Trump Meeting With Project 2025 Veteran to Slash ‘Democrat Agencies.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump announced he will meet with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought on Thursday to determine what federal agencies will face funding cuts amid the ongoing Democrat-engineered government shutdown.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, OMB Director Russell Vought, and Senate Democrats.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The meeting will occur in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, October 2, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent.” —  President Trump

🎯IMPACT: Trump contends that Democrat obstruction on Capitol Hill has given him an “unprecedented opportunity” to unilaterally cut wasteful spending

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump announced he will meet with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought on Thursday to determine what federal agencies will face funding cuts amid the ongoing Democrat-engineered government shutdown. The America First leader, in a post on Truth Social, emphasized that Democrat obstruction on Capitol Hill has given him an “unprecedented opportunity” to unilaterally cut wasteful spending.

“I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent,” President Trump wrote Thursday morning. “I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Senate Democrats have blocked several attempts to bring a Republican-backed stopgap funding measure to the floor, causing government funding to lapse on October 1, the start of the 2026 fiscal year.

The Trump White House has already begun to halt federal funding for a number of programs, along with furloughing nonessential government workers. On Wednesday, Vought announced the administration will cancel $8 billion in green agenda projects across 16 states in light of the ongoing government shutdown.

An additional $18 billion in infrastructure funding for New York City was paused as the ongoing shutdown is preventing the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) from completing a review of the projects to ensure they’re in compliance with President Trump’s Executive Order barring the federal funding of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more